NATURAL HISTORY OF AMERICAN LOBSTER. 159 



the coral seas of both hemispheres. The Alpheidae have no commerci^ value, but 

 are of great biological interest, on account of their wide variation in form, coloring, 

 and development, as well as for their remarkable instincts and habits. 



The large and handsome spiny or thorny lobsters (family Palinuridae) are repre- 

 sented chiefly by the single genus Palinurus. The langouste of the French, which has 

 been celebrated from antiquity, is noted for its great size, brilUant coloring, and formi- 

 dable appearance, though claws are lacking, as well as for its small and numerous eggs 

 and grotesque transparent larvae. Its flesh, which is mainly confined to the thorax 

 and tail, is considered by many quite as delicate as that of the true lobsters. From 

 13 to 16 species have been described from the temperate and tropical seas of the world. 

 According to Spence Bate," this genus is represented in the South Indian Ocean by 

 Palinurus edwardsii, the range of which extends from the Cape of Good Hope to New 

 Zealand, by Palinurus trigonus and allied forms in Japan, by Palinurus frontalis on the 

 coast of South America, and by Palinurus longimanus and related species in the West 

 Indies. The common spiny or rock lobster {Palinurus vulgaris) of southern and western 

 Europe is an important article of marine food, particularly in France and on the coasts 

 of the Mediterranean Sea and its islands. It is commonly seen in the markets and 

 restaurants of lyondon, where it commands a good price. 



According to Ritchie,* Palinurus vulgaris occurs on all the shores of the British 

 Isles except a part of the east coast to the north of Flamborough Head. It is most 

 abundant in the southwest, and scarcer northward, but is frequently debarred from 

 entering traps on account of its stout, unyielding antennae. Palinurus in the adult 

 state is unknown in the North Atlantic Ocean north of the Bermuda Islands, but its 

 pelagic larvae are undoubtedly borne far to the northward by the Gulf stream. It 

 is represented on the western coast of North America by Palinurus interruptus. 



The carapace of the langouste is not "buttoned" to the tail so effectively as in 

 the common lobster; all the thoracic legs end in long dactyls with indurated tips, 

 which are studded with dense bunches of stiff setae. The first two pairs of legs are 

 greatly elongated, and the tactile setae of their dactyls, which resemble bottle brushes, 

 exhibit an extraordinary development. 



The largest of the scaly or warty lobsters is represented by Scyllarus, which occurs 

 both in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic Ocean, and is said to attain a length 

 of 18 inches and to excel all other lobsters in the quaUty of its flesh. Their quadran- 

 gular, flattened shell and small, slender legs give them a singular appearance, but 

 specially remarkable are the short, scale-like antennae, which are possibly used as 

 shovels or scoops in burrowing. Their small and widely separated eyes are completely 

 embedded in the carapace, which is studded all over with wart-Uke tubercles, thus 

 giving it a granulated and leathery texture, while on the inside it has the appearance 

 of a fine sieve of uniform pattern. Each hole gives passage to a bundle of tactile 

 setae, which spread in the upper layers of the shell and issue through minute pores 



« Bate, Spence: Report on the Crustacea Macrura; Scientific results of the voyage H. M. S. Challenger; Zoology, vol. xxrv. 

 London, i88S. 



6 Ritchie, James: Distribution of Palintlrus in British waters. Proceedings of Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh, vol. 

 xxm, p. 6S-71. Edinburgh, 1910. 



